Spirit of the Ice (DISCONTINUED
by Leaf the Peregrine Falcon
Summary: Aria is a poor girl that lives in a tiny town in Arctica. She knows she has a tough life ahead of her, but what she doesn't know is the destiny about to unfold before her very eyes.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is the first spirit animals fanfic I have ever done, so it may not be the best. It would be a huge help if you reviewed each chapter to tell me stuff I need to improve for the next! If you enjoyed this chapter, please favorite or follow my account and the story!**

 **Thanks again!**

 **Leaf**

* * *

 **Spirit of the Ice – Chapter 1**

 **The Lost Beast:**

* * *

Aria couldn't feel her hands. They were numb, she rubbed her hands together, trying to create some friction for warmth. The heavy snowfall had destroyed the crops she had so meticulously planted.

Aria picked out a few pitiful carrots, all that remained of the once blooming garden. "Aria!" a voice shouted, "Are there and potatoes left?" It was her father.

Aria lived in one of the poorest regions in Arctica, an already poor country. Here, life swung from a fragile spider's thread. One wrong choice, and you snap the string.

"No!" she shouted back, "I got some carrots though!" Aria's father cursed, "Damn it, we'll have to plant a new crop farm when spring comes around."

Aria cupped her hands in front of her mouth and huffed a few short breaths, warming up her freezing hands. "Come inside before you get frostbite!" he father called, "We can't afford treatment!"

Frostbite was not uncommon in Arctica, her father had already lost a toe to it. Criph, her father's arctic fox greeted her at the door. Aria's father had done something almost impossible in the lands of the ice, summoned a spirit animal.

"Hey Criph," Aria said half-heartedly, allowing the fox to lick her open palms. Aria's mother came up to her, "I'm going to the market," she smiled as she opened her hand to reveal three golden coins, "Found these buried in the snow."

"Be careful," Aria's father warned, joining them in the small dining area, "Crooks hang 'round there all the time. Take Criph with you." His brow crinkled in worry, "I heard once this little boy went to the market, never came home. Found his body buried in snow few months later. I reckon a robber got him."

Aria's mother rolled her eyes, "Dahu, I'll be fine." "Fine, but at least take Criph with you," Dahu pleaded. Criph grinned, as much as a fox could grin, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. He nuzzled Aria's mother's palm affectionately.

Aria knew why her father was so protective. A few years back, Dahu's younger sister, Rei, had been murdered at the town's market. Aria's mother seemed to realize this as well, and she nodded, "Fine. I'll be back at sunset with supper."

Dahu smiled wearily and gave his wife a quick kiss on the cheek, then he turned to his fox. "Take good care of Vencia, Criph, I trust you." Criph licked his hand reassuringly.

* * *

A few hours later, there was a knock at the door, three slow knocks and one fast one, Aria's family's secret code for entry. Dahu rushed to the old wooden door and swung it open.

Aria's mother stood there, a beaming smile painted across her face. Criph was beside her, doing his fox-grin. She was holding a large basket, woven from river grass.

Dahu helped her in and ruffled Criph's white fur. Aria's mother set down her basket, still smiling broadly, "Old Frasco had this wonderful deal. Each coin bought three chicken, and sixteen duck eggs! We'll have food for months!"

"Old Frasco?" Dahu frowned, "That old grump, offer a deal? He must've had a serious change of heart."

"Oh Dahu," Aria's mother said, "Who cares! We got food, which means we can survive." She pulled out a box of matches, and soon a fire had bloomed over the tinder, the flames crackling merrily.

Supper was better than Aria had ever remembered it being. They all shared a scrambled duck egg and two drumsticks.

That night, as Aria snuggled under her thin fraying blanket, her mother creaked open the door. She strode across the room and lit the candle, then she settled beside Aria on her small cot.

She bent down and gave Aria an affectionate kiss, "Good night," she whispered, standing up. "Wait!" Aria called, and her mother stopped and looked back, "Tell me a story." Vencia smiled, "Have I ever told you the legend of Arctica's lost beast?" Aria shook her head, "No." "Well," Vencia began, "A long, long time ago…"

 _There was a beautiful snow leopard, she was one of the Great Beasts, her name was Alda. All of Arctica loved and respected their only Great Beast patron. Unlike the other Great Beasts, mysterious and regal, Alda was kind and loving to all creatures._

 _She didn't want others to bow to her, she wanted everybody to feel they had a place in the world. But not everyone thought that way. A group of powerful hunters from the four main regions, Nilo, Amaya, Zhong, and Eura, made their goal to kill the Great Beast and skin her pelt._

 _They targeted her because they knew she would not strike back. They thought of an elaborate plan, and one fateful night, they struck._

 _Alda, was already aware of the hunter's malicious plan, but was not even angered by the slightest. When the hunters approached, hold swords and spears, she tried to convince them that violence was not the answer._

 _An eyoung woman just happened to be nearby, walking in the woods, minding her own business. One of the hunters, a particularly devious one, pointed his dragon-scale spear at the woman, "You think I won't kill you?" he taunted, "I'll prove to you that I can."_

 _A few of his comrades were in on what their leader was doing, and readied their spears. They threw with deadly accuracy, the spears hurtled through the air, right towards the woman._

 _Caught by surprise, the woman tried to run, but stumbled on her dress and fell to the dusty ground. Petrified, she threw up her arms, a pitiful defense, preparing herself for the agony soon to follow. But it never came._

 _Instead, there was a roar of rage she had never heard before. One that shook the earth itself, true power. Alda had intercepted the spears with her own body. The six spears impaled her in different places. Two in the chest, one in the neck, and three in the head._

 _The Great Beast writhed in agony on the mountain path, her blood staining the dirt. For, dragon-scale was fatal to all it impaled. Though weak and dying, Alda created a mountain, which swallowed the evil men whole, trapping them forever in the earth._

"And that mountain is now called Mount Alda," Vencia finished, "In honor of how a Great Beast had risked her life for a commoner." Aria was quiet for a while, "Is that story true?"

Vencia laughed and brushed Aria's black hair behind her ear, "If Alda hadn't done what she did, you wouldn't be here right now. The woman she saved was your great-great-great-great grandmother."

Aria's jaw dropped, "How do you know?" she demanded, "Who told you?" Vencia laughed gently like the breeze, "It's been passed down, from generation to generation to generation…"


	2. Chapter 2

**A shout out to** Lionrulersroar **for being the first to review the story. I will give a shout out to all that review, favorite, or follow!**

 **Thanks!**

 **Leaf**

* * *

 **Spirit of the Ice – Chapter 2**

 **The Nectar of Ninani:**

Every year or so, at the town square, all the girls and boys of a certain age would drink a magical substance, called the nectar. At this one moment in their lives, they had the chance of calling a spirit animal. If they didn't, no matter, their childhood would be over.

Vencia pulled out a frayed baby blue blouse from a chest and a pair of ripped white leggings, "Here, this is what I wore during my nectar ceremony, I want you to wear it too."

Aria took the clothing from her mother's outstretched arms and put it on. Vencia stepped back to admire the outfit, she smiled, "Looks good."

Dahu came storming into the room, "Finished yet? I don't want you to be late." "Patience Dahu, this is Aria's special day, I want it to be perfect," Vencia declared, clapping her hands together.

Dahu frowned, "Fine, but hurry." "Now," Vencia said, when Dahu had left, "Your hair." She combed through the messy knots in less than a minute and weaved it back down in a simple braid, then she tied it all together with a spare leather band.

For the final touch, she gave Aria a small necklace. It was quite beautiful really, with a glistening silver chain and dangling from was a small pale blue gem in the shape of a snowflake. "It's beautiful," Aria whispered, clutching the snowflake tight to her chest.

"It's all yours," Vencia smiled, "Now, let's get going."

* * *

The town square was packed with people, unusually full, even for a nectar ceremony. Then Aria saw how many children there where, dressed as formally as possible, pacing around nervously.

"Name please," a tall balding man said, looking at his list. "Aria Thorn, sir," she said, composing herself. The man was silent for a moment, his eyes scanning over the parchment, then he smiled, "Good luck miss," he said, allowing her to pass.

A couple boys, Aria recognized from class, were twitching apprehensively in their seat. Drake Crayberry, a usually rambunctious and naughty boy, was silent for once, his head buried in his hands.

Asher, a pale faced blonde boy gave Aria a jittery wave, "Hey Ari! Over here!" He patted on an empty seat beside him. Aria grinned in relief that Asher had showed up.

"I can't believe I finally get to drink the nectar!" Asher said excitedly as Aria took her seat, "I've been waiting for this day for… well—ever!" Aria smiled weakly, wishing she could share her friend's enthusiasm.

Asher didn't seem to notice, "My brothers all say it tastes like really good milk, but I think their lying to me! Daren even said it tasted bitter, I hope it doesn't. None of my family's ever summoned an animal before, do you think I could be the first?" He gave Aria a pleading look.

"Er, sure. I bet you could," Aria croaked, not mentioning how rare the summoning of a spirit animal was. "Well the only summoning I've ever seen was five years ago. Penny Lucenburg summoned an arctic rabbit!" Asher babbled, "But rabbits are so boring, I want to see something cool!"

A loud trumpeting call interrupted Asher's next statement, "Attention all drinkers of the nectar!" it shouted with much authority, "Please move on to the stage and sit in your directed order!"

A man wearing a formal suit and tie rushed up to the children, all pale faced and sweaty, with an exception of Asher, who looked like he might explode with excitement. "Crayberry, Drake! Belof, Aron! Fras, Greg! Thompson, Asher! Thia, Grace! _Thorn, Aria_!" the man shouted quickly, reading off a clipboard, "Single file, follow me!"

The children quickly rushed in the order they were called, Asher flashed Aria a beaming grin as his name was called. Drake, who had clearly composed himself, strutted up to Aria, "I'll the first in five years to call a spirit animal!" he boasted, "Just watch. Father and mother have both called one!"

Aria rolled her eyes at the boy, "Sure, good luck to you as well."

The man led the children, marching in a unified line, onto the stage. The village Greencloak, Sreia was there, finishing up the commencement speech, her sparrow perched on her cloaked shoulder. Another unfamiliar Greencloak stood beside her.

With a gasp, Aria realized why there were so many people. The heroes of Erdas themselves sat in the audience, Meilin, Conor, Rollan, and Abeke! Asher's face went another shade darker, and he flashed Aria a delighted look.

Aria took a couple of deep breaths to steady her racing heart. _Calm down Aria! You don't want to look like a fool in front of the Heroes of Erdas!_

"Crayberry, Drake!" Sreia called, "Step forward to receive the Nectar of Ninani!" The confident boy swaggered forward and took a deep gulp of the golden substance.

The crowd went silent, watching apprehensively. A second passed, then another, but nothing seemed to happen. Drake's mouth fell in shock and misery as he retreated, shoulders slouched to his seat.

"Belof, Aron!" Sreia shouted, and as expected, nothing happened. Same with "Fras, Greg!" Sreia looked bored already, and Aria couldn't imagine how many times she had done this before. "Thompson, Asher!" Sreia shouted, "Receive the Nectar of Ninani!"

Asher almost skipped up to her and eagerly took a mouthful. At first, there was nothing, and Asher's face fell as he began back to his seat. But then, there was a gust of strong wind, and a sleek falcon appeared out of nowhere, landing on Asher's shoulder.

Asher's mouth fell open in a mixture of shock and joy. The world held silent, as if someone had pressed the mute button. Then the crowd cheered and clapped, breaking the glass of silence. Asher looked like her was about to burst, which Aria strongly expected him to.

Drake's face was the worst, twisted into a terrible blend of rage and envy. He had never viewed Asher as an equal, and now, he had surpassed him.

It took a very long time for the crowd to settle down. This was the first summoning ever seen in five entire years. Asher slowly returned to his seat, he didn't even look at Aria, his eyes were fixated upon his regal falcon.

Aria whooped and clapped as Asher carefully stroked the falcon's feathers. The creature held itself up in a dignified sort of way, chest pumped out, head held high. Sreia called for Thia, Grace, but nothing happened, then, "Thorn, Aria!"

The foreign Greencloak sat forward attentively, clearly interested, his strange golden eyes burning into Aria's. She quickly glanced at the floor, embarrassed.

She stood, walking slowly as if caught in a dream. Her mind went foggy, completely blank. Sreia gave Aria a curious look before saying, "Receive the Nectar of Ninani!"

She tipped the glass toward Aria's lips as she gulped down a mouthful. She immediately wanted more, the nectar was thick and sweet, like honey and fruit. It melted on her tongue, leaving behind a soothing sensation as it slid down her throat. Aria tried to slurp down more, but Sreia quickly withdrew the glass.

There was an earthshaking roar, as the sky above went black, storm clouds brewed. Very soon, snow began to fall, harder, and harder and harder. Soon it was a blizzard, a white cloud of nothingness, nothing could be seen.

Aria's foggy mind instantly went sharp and focused. Though she knew she should be freezing, the snow felt fresh and cool against her skin, not frosty like she was used to feeling. The blizzard subsided just a quickly as it had come.

But that was not what Aria was focused on. Before her, stood a beautiful snow leopard, somehow, Aria just knew it was female. Her white fur was like the fresh, soft snow, her ink black spots were blotches of night. Her eyes were a piercing light blue. _Piercing light blue!_

The crowd was silent, most faced awestruck and dumbfounded. Then the crowd screamed, even louder than they had for Asher. The whooped and clapped, stomping their feet. The strange Greencloak rushed up to her, so did Abeke, Conor, Meilin and Rollan. They all had looks of utmost urgency.

The man grabbed Aria's shoulders and the snow leopard let out a barely audible snarl. "Listen to me! No harm will come to…" The cheering of the crowd drowned out his words. "What?" Aria shouted, she could barely hear her own voice.

But through the chaos and screaming, Aria knew one thing was clear. She flashed back to her mother's story and looked up at a great mountain peaking up the sky faded at the horizon line, Mount Alda. The beast had risen again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Special thanks to Neo Skies and Kathelf for reviewing!**

* * *

 **Spirit of the Ice – Chapter Three**

 **Kirat and Cabaro:**

The Greencloak with the golden eyes quickly ushered Aria away, Rollan, Meilin, Conor, and Abeke quickly closed in behind them. "Stop!" an all too familiar voice shouted of the clamor of the crowd. It was Dahu, followed by Vencia.

Dahu glared at the Greencloak fiercely, "What are you doing with my daughter?" he demanded. "Taking her somewhere safe," the man replied calmly, "Your daughter has summoned Alda, she is in grave danger if she stays here. We will take her overseas to Greenhaven, there we shall train her. She will learn to control the powers Alda can give her."

Dahu's face twisted into a snarl, "And why are you so keen on taking her? You seem to have big plans."

The man's pretense calm broke, "Listen to me! The Sat—our enemies will not hesitate to kill her! We are your daughter's only hope for survival! Listen to me please!"

Dahu scowled disbelievingly. "Dahu," Vencia said firmly, "I think he's right." Dahu turned on his wife, "What? You want this man to just take away our daughter? I won't allow it!" Vencia sighed, "I sense he is truthful. Please Dahu, what if we leave Aria here and something happened to her? Greenhaven is well protected by the Marked."

Dahu's facial features slackened, "Fine," he said grudgingly, "But if anything, I repeat _anything_ happens. She is coming straight home," he shouted at the man. The man put his right hand over his heart, "I swear on my life I will keep her safe," he said, with no hint of hesitation.

This seemed to relieve Dahu, "You have taken the sacred oath," he said, "You are brave to do so." The man bowed, "Anything for the safety of your daughter," he rumbled.

Dahu gave Aria a stern look, "Behave yourself," he said stiffly, "Have a good time." Then he spun around and walked back to the stage. Vencia embraced her daughter with an engulfing hug, "I'll miss you," she whispered into Aria's ear. Then her eyes fell on the crystal necklace she had just given Aria, "Keep that with you at all times. Just a little reminder of home."

The man cleared his throat impatiently, "We must be on our way ma'am," he said oddly, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon. "Of course," Vencia said curtly, giving Aria one last hug, "Bye my love." Then, she too merged into the distance.

The man exhaled in relief, "I'm Ronik," he said, "I'm your caregiver. I know this is a lot to take in, I'll explain on the way."

* * *

Half an hour later, they were speeding away from Arctica, towards Eura, the location of Greenhaven. Aria laughed as she let her hand touch the water, sending up ocean spray. Alda remained at her side, a constant guardian.

Asher had come too. He wanted to train with the Greencloaks after he had summoned his peregrine falcon. He had named him Ventus, which meant wind and spirit in the Arctican language. Asher watched as Ventus did some intricate flips in midair to show off.

Aria causally placed one hand on Alda's flank. Her fur was softer than lamb's wool and silkier than silk itself. An electric surge shot up Aria's arm, surprised, she quickly withdrew her hand.

Alda gave a rumbling purr and butted her head affectionately against Aria's hip, her first real movement since her summoning. Aria gave a weak smile and stroked Alda's fur.

Alda pawed at Aria's snowflake necklace with one sheathed paw and purred. Aria smiled, "You like it? My mother gave it to me." Alda continued to purr. Aria tucked the necklace securely under her blouse.

"You might want to change into something more athletic," a deep voice said from behind. Aria almost fell off the boat, she spun around to glare at Ronik, "You scared me!" Ronik shrugged his broad shoulders, "You weren't ready. By the end of your training, you should be able to sense someone approaching you from behind." He passed her a set of clothing, "Put it on," he said gruffly, "We'll arrive in Greenhaven in one hour. Get warmed up."

Ronik spun around and sulked away.

The Greencloaks' main fortress was massive. Large, towering stone walls surrounded the impressive castle. "Halt!" a voice shouted, "Who goes there? Oh, hey Ronik, Meilin, Rollan, Conor, Abeke." A burly man nodded at each person as he said their name, "New recruits?"

Ronik nodded, "This is Asher," he said gesturing towards the pale faced boy, "And this is Aria." The man grinned at them, "Nice falcon kid. Wait," his face went white, "Is that Alda?"

Ronik nodded, "Now, Veerd, we have work to do, please let us pass," he said coldly. Veerd looked flustered for a moment then he nodded, "Of course, General Ronik. OPEN THE GATES!" he bellowed.

The stone walls suddenly folded outwards, leaving a gap for entry. Veerd bowed to them as they passed. He flashed Aria a sly grin that strongly reminded her of a fox, "Good luck, Ronik doesn't mess around."

As Aria turned back, she caught a glimpse of the tattoo of a red fox on Veerd's right hand.

* * *

Ronik led them to a large training room. The sounds of clanging swords and the shouts of trainers blasted from the room. "Stop, stop, STOP!" Ronik bellowed.

The room immediately quieted. Aria noticed most of the population was children. One, a Zhongese girl was holding a large axe, an elephant with turquoise eyes beside her giving Aria a curious look. Another girl, Arctican by the look of it, was standing straight, a silver sword hung from her belt. Her spirit animal, a polar bear stood beside her.

There was a boy with an elk, another girl with an eagle perched on her shoulder, a short boy with a ram, a boy who was training with a lion, a tall thin boy with bright eyes stood beside a boar.

Aria's breath caught in her throat. These were the remaining Great Beasts. "Everybody," Ronik said, "This is Aria, she summoned a Great Beast like all of you, Alda the Snow Leopard. I want you all to be nice. That is all, continue."

But the children did not resume their training. The boy with the elk grinned at her as he approached, "My name's Anda," he said, "This is Tellun, my spirit animal." The regal elk bowed his magnificent head in Aria's direction.

Alda approached Tellun slowly and gave him a sniff, then she purred. Anda looked delighted, "They recognize each other!" Indeed they did, Alda gave Tellun a friendly lick on his head and Tellun butted her playfully.

The Arctican girl was next in line, "My name's Anuqi," she said swiftly, "This is Suka." The polar bear growled a greeting then turned away and lumbered towards where Tellun and Alda were playing.

A tall thin boy strutted up to her, his eyes bright like liquid stars, he stuck out his hand formally, "I'm Dawson, Dawson Trunswick. Son of the Earl of Trunswick," he gave her a small bow, "This is Rumfuss." The boar inclined his head respectfully and snorted.

A tall tanned boy walked stiffly towards her, his face a brilliant red, his lion growled in amusement and pushed him along. "Urm, hi," the boy said awkwardly, "My…my name's Kir…" he broke off, mumbling. "I'm sorry," Aria said, equally embarrassed, "I didn't hear you." "Kirat," the boy muttered, "This is Cabaro. Erm, nice meeting you."

Cabaro roared with laughter and staggered off to meet Alda, he immediately stopped laughing. If lions could blush, then Cabaro had just blushed. Alda gave him a pitiful look, then returned to Tellun.

Kirat furiously grabbed his lion's tail and yanked him back. There was a flash of light and Cabaro reappeared on Kirat's arm. Kirat's dark skin turned even darker as he slunk away, glaring at his tattoo.

Aria almost swore that she saw Ronik flash her a wink from across the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Spirit of the Ice – Chapter Four**

 **An Obvious Hatred'**

Ronik raised his hand to signal for silence once everyone had introduced themselves, "Now that everyone is here, we shall split into groups. Conor, your group will consist of Anuqi, Cordalles, and Grif. Abeke, your group will be of Raisha, Tasha, and Takoda. Rollan, take Takoda, Niri, and Kaiina. Meilin, you have Aria, Kirat, and Anda. Are we all clear?"

"Yes sir!" the children shouted with vigor before racing off to find their trainer. Meilin gathered her group together quickly and ushered them to a smaller training room. "This is where we shall be training every day," she explained swiftly, "I expect my students to all succeed, so know I have high expectations."

Aria gulped, as she remembered seeing the children train, they were already very skilled. She, had no idea how to fight. Perhaps sensing her insecurity, Alda purred and rubbed her head against Aria's hip. Aria rubbed Alda's head, sending her silent waves of thanks.

Meilin pursed her lips, "Kirat, Anda, you start training, I'm going to talk to Aria." Kirat and Anda exchanged a bewildered look, but smartly decided not to argue.

"Don't expect me to go easy on you because you haven't fought before," Meilin said simply, "We'll learn how to fight with many weapons, but I wouldn't be surprised if you picked a favorite weapon very soon." She cast a look at Alda approvingly, "A snow leopard could provide great powers to you."

"What are we starting with?" Aria asked, swallowing to relieve her dry throat. "Hand to hand combat," Meilin said, "The basics. How about you meet me here every evening after dinner." Aria nodded numbly, "Thanks, that'll be great, I probably need it."

Meilin nodded, "Let's get started."

Over the course of the next few weeks, every day when Aria returned to her room, she was drenched in sweat. One day Meilin decided to access her skills.

Meilin came at her cautiously, hands balled into fists. "Don't be afraid to strike hard," Meilin said, bringing up her hands to protect her head, "I will." Aria nodded, narrowing her eyes, "Okay." Meilin made the first strike.

Left, right, left. Meilin struck with whirling punches towards Aria's knee, targeting her joints. Aria leapt back in the nick of time to avoid Meilin's flurry of fists.

Aria panted and tried an attack of her own. She swung her leg as swiftly as she could towards Meilin's leg, trying to sweep her legs from under her. Meilin easily jumped over her kick and swung a hefty punch at Aria's exposed face.

Quickly, Aria threw up her hands, protecting her face. The punch left Aria's hands burning with fiery pain. "Nice try," Meilin said loftily, "Try a distraction, then try the low sweep."

Aria nodded, taking in the scene before her. Meilin was in a tense crouch, her fists balled at the ready. Then she lunged forward, and time seemed to slow. Meilin came again, with a well-aimed whirlwind of fists and strength.

Aria flew under Meilin's outstretched arms and delivered a flurry of punches. Meilin stumbled back, wincing in pain, "Nice move," she said through gritted teeth. Aria instantly felt guilty, "I'm sorry!"

Meilin held up a hand, the other still clutching her chest, "Don't be. That was good, I think you're ready to move on."

Aria felt her energy surge back, "Really, what can I try?" "What do you want to try?" Meilin asked with a visible grimace. "I want to try the knife or the dagger," Aria said eagerly, "But anything's fine," she added bashfully.

"Knife," Meilin said, "Easiest place to start." She grabbed two long glistening knives from the wall and handed one to Aria. Aria ran her hand eagerly down the shiny, smooth surface of the blade.

"Try to stab me," Meilin said simply letting her arms fall to the side, leaving her defenseless. Aria hesitantly grasped the knife's hilt and swung it at Meilin's exposed torso. Quick as lightning, Meilin brought her knife up and parried the knife with such force that the blade was knocked out of Aria's hand.

It fell to the floor with a noisy clatter and skidded a few yards. Quickly, Aria scurried over to the knife and picked it up. "Sorry," she said, her cheeks flushing red.

"It's fine. All beginners are the same," Meilin said. Thoroughly embarrassed, Aria listened intently on all Meilin's instructions, careful to not make herself seem like a fool again.

By the end of the private session, Aria was already feeling much more comfortable with the knife. Meilin wiped her sweaty hair out of her face and blew a deep breath, "Nice, you're a fast learner, I like fast learners."

Aria panted sweat rolling down in waves from her forehead, "Thanks Meilin, really." "See you tomorrow," Meilin said, leaving the training room.

Aria swung open the door to her room. It was at the top of the East Tower. All the young female trainees slept in the East Tower. Alda was waiting, pacing impatiently on the floor. Aria knew her snow leopard hated the confinements of the room.

She growled in relief as Aria entered the room, "Sorry I took so long," Aria panted, "But I passed my hand-to-hand combat test! Meilin's moved me on to knives and daggers!"

Alda purred, a congratulation. "I'm really glad you came to me," Aria continued, "I had no idea there was this other part of me. But I hope Mother and Father aren't missing me too much."

Alda continued to purr, a deep rumbling purr. Aria smiled, "I'm going to shower, I'm all sweaty."

Aria flicked on the lights of her small tiled bathroom and stepped into the shower. The cool water rushed down her back, cleansing her body of all the sweat and dirt. Aria flung back her hair, allowing the water to run down, leaving her hair soaked in seconds.

Aria stepped out and wiped herself dry with a fluffy white towel provided by the Greencloaks. In Arctica, she'd never showered or used a towel before. Now, she was glad that she had the privilege to do so.

Aria changed into the sleepwear and greeted Alda in the main bedroom. The snow leopard had already settled down on the bed, yawning, stretching her jaws wide to reveal thorn-sharp white fangs.

Aria settled in bed beside her leopard, letting her hand fall onto the leopard's glossy flank, "Goodnight Alda," Aria yawned, "See you in the morning."

"Relays?" Grif scowled, "Do I have to participate?" "Yes," Meilin said coldly, "Everyone has to participate. It can show you how you and your spirit animal can work together."

Tasha held out her arm, and a graceful white swan appeared, Ninani. Takoda summoned Kovo, and Kaiina released Dinesh. Aria watched the rest release their spirit animals from their dormant states in embarrassment. After all, she hadn't been able to call Alda into a tattoo.

Alda paced forward, her mouth drawn back in a competitive snarl. Aria kneeled beside her snow leopard, "You'll lend me some strength right?" she murmured. Alda purred reassuringly and licked Aria's palm.

"No attacking the other competitors," Meilin said sternly, glaring at Kirat, "Unless you want to be disqualified." Kirat held up his arms innocently, "I won't, swear."

Rollan snorted disbelievingly. "Line up here," Meilin said, ignoring Rollan's comment, she gestured towards a white line. The children lined up at the line obediently, muscles tense. "Both your spirit animal _and_ you have to pass the line to win. Good luck, the course is very difficult."

"Can I call go?" Rollan asked playfully, breaking the tense moment, "Please?" Meilin gave Rollan her signature eye roll, "Fine."

"Three, two, one, GOOOOO!" Rollan hollered. Aria raced forward, neck and neck with the other children. Grif was lagging behind, having the disadvantage of being short. He bellowed in frustration as the other children left him in the dust.

Alda roared in exhilaration, and Aria felt a sudden burst of strength. She shot forward as if her feet were being carried by the wind. She easily surpassed the other runners. Alda sped up, running side by side with Aria.

The first obstacle was approaching. Ropes fell from the ceiling above a pool of water. Without hesitation, Aria sprang, feeling Alda's power propel her upwards with grace. Alda sped along the path the spirit animals were supposed to take and stopped, waiting for Aria.

Aria swung forward, grabbing another rope, then she grabbed another, swinging like a monkey in the trees. She decided to skip the last rope entirely and went for the dismount. She swung back and forth, gaining momentum, then she jumped.

She easily made it, and over jumped it a little. At this point in time, Kirat, who was in second, had just made it to the first obstacle. Aria, feeling confident, gave him a cocky wink before starting off again.

The second obstacle approached, an unforgiving rock wall. Alda easily scaled the surface, as her natural environment was in the high jugged peaks. She perched at the top, peering over the edge.

Aria was having more trouble. She jumped up to grab a handhold and felt her foot slide up and down the rocks. She gritted her teeth, looking for the smallest indentation to push off on. Her hands strating to sweat, they couldn't hold on for much longer.

Kirat was already catching up. Finally, Aria found a small crook in the rock. She kicked off with all her leg strength, springing into the air to grab a handhold and place her foot in a convenient dent in the rock.

Kirat had reached the rock wall and recklessly grabbed whatever he could, trying to get up. He was having trouble, twice he slid back down. Cabaro roared in frustration as he failed to get a claw hold.

Aria was almost up the wall as Tasha, Cordalles, and Dawson sprinted towards the wall. Cordalles' eagle soared up to the top. Pecking Aria's in the arm as she reached for the top of the wall. Alda snarled, outraged at the eagle. She reared up and batted Halawir out of the air. The eagle fell down a couple feet before taking back into the air, distinctively ruffled.

Aria strained her muscles and pulled herself to the top. Alda growled in relief as they quickly climber down the later.

Suddenly Alda stopped and snarled in disbelief. Before them, stretched a pool of water. The only way across was to swim. Alda's jaws wrinkled into a look of extreme distaste, but seeing as there was no other options, she dove gracefully into the pool.

The water was very deep, as Aria couldn't even feel the bottom even when she went under. Alda paddled forward quickly, her muscles propelling her smoothly through the water. Aria surged forward, in a freestyle. The freezing water sliced at her arms, but she was quite used to the cold.

As if things couldn't get worse, up ahead, the water was swirling in a funnel, sucking everything inwards. Currents swirled all around it. Aria swam up to Alda, "Can I hold onto you?" she whispered, eyeing the currents.

Alda growled, nodding as she began the grueling process of muscling through the buffeting currents. One particularly strong one, swept both of them sideways, Aria barely clinging onto Alda's soaked fur. Alda roared in frustration as she kicked out strongly, thrusting her way through the unforgiving water.

Finally, they made it to the other end, both soaked, freezing to the bone. Aria's shirt was plastered to her body, and her teeth chattered uncontrollably. Alda shook out her drenched fur, letting water fly everywhere, before surging forward again.

Aria sprinted forward, hoping the exercise would warm her up. She heard a bellow of frustration from behind, and turned to see Kirat and Cabaro struggling against the churning waters. They had decided to go separately, a bad choice.

Cabaro was swept back and slammed full-force into Kirat. They both sank beneath the waves, then, a few tense moments later, resurfaced, Kirat choking and spluttering. He raised his arm, and Cabaro became a tattoo.

More water, Aria groaned. Stepping stones stuck out, a decent amount of distance apart. At least she wouldn't have to get wet, unless she fell.

Aria jumped, landing neatly on the first stone. It was relatively smooth, allowing a graceful landing. The next stone, not so much. It was lumpy, like bad bread. Aria leapt and landed on the chunky rock. Aria tilted sideways precariously as she struggled to regain her balance.

Alda was right behind her, she leapt gracefully onto the first stone. Aria jumped, gaining cat-like grace from Alda, from stone to stone quickly. Before long, she had cleared the obstacle.

Aria's legs were shaking as she cleared the last leap. _The finish line was right ahead!_ With renewed energy, Aria sprinted forward, Alda loping beside her.

Her mind roaring with triumph, she surged past the ending line and wrapped her arms around Alda's still wet fur. About twenty seconds later, Kirat came, sprinting hard, neck and neck with Cordalles and Anda. All three children were soaked in water and their own sweat.

Cabaro snarled in vigor as Halawir gave an earsplitting screech. Tellun ran forward gracefully, his legs pumping forward.

Kirat, managed to pull forward slightly, due to his height advantage and finished second. He rolled on the floor, panting and wiping away the sweat streaming down his forehead.

Anda, who had finished third, leaned against Tellun, who looked serene as ever, shaking and gasping for air. Cordalles didn't look too tired, though sweat had soaked her t-shirt a whole shade darker, she looked distinctively angry and frustrated.

After all, she had just finished the top three, finishing in fourth. She kicked the ground bitterly, and Halawir gave a screech of frustration.

A little while, later, Dawson finished, then Tasha, Kaiina, Anuqi, then Raisha, Takoda, then Niri. Last, Grif finished, soaking wet, he'd probably fallen into the water. Arax snorted, pacing himself so he ran beside his master.

Grif scowled, "I hate relays." Meilin came up to them, giving Grif a hard glare, "That was disappointing," then she addressed all of them, "All of you. Aria's just joined us, she's had at least five months less training then you, and she still easily won." She gave Aria a tiny nod, which showed she approved of her performance.

Aria sagged in relief. Raisha gave Aria a venomous look that reminded Aria of a snake, Grif scowled at her, and Kaiina narrowed her eyes in extreme dislike.

Anuqi, Niri, and Tasha didn't meet her desperate eyes. Anda, Dawson, and Kirat exchanged a silent conversation, then approached her, "That was a nice run," Anda said hollowly. "Yeah," Dawson said curtly, "You were great." Kirat just blushed and nodded.

"Thanks," Aria said, "I don't think the others think of it that way." In fact, Raisha stormed off and slammed the door behind her. She was quickly followed by Grif and Kaiina. Dinesh gave Aria an apologetic look before following a fuming Kaiina.

"They'll get over it," Dawson said reassuringly, "They always do. Kaiina and Raisha are just naturally competitive. Grif is usually pretty cool, but I guess finishing last got to him. Mind you, Niri always doing the worst, but she's gotten used to it. Must feel good to finally finish second last."

"Thanks," Aria said, feeling better that at least some people were being friendly. Takoda strolled up to Aria, scratching his bald head, "Um, good run," he said, then glanced back at the remaining children, all watching intently, "That's from all of us. We're sorry about Grif, Kaiina, and Raisha. They're always mad if they don't get first."

"It's fine," Aria said, sagging a little. They were being a little _too_ friendly. They obviously didn't trust her."


	5. Chapter 5

**Spirit of the Ice – Chapter Five**

 **Invasion of the Satans**

Aria woke to an earthshaking thud. Alda was instantly awake beside her, ears pricked and alert. Was it an earthquake? Aria's muddled brain was foggy as her door swung open. It was Meilin, still dressed in her sleepwear, "Get out! Get out!" she shouted, "The Satans are here!"

"The Satans?" Aria mumbled, still half asleep, "What is that?" "I'll explain it all later!" Meilin said urgently, "But now's not the time! Come on!"

Aria stood quickly, and sprinted to the door, resisting the urge to yawn. Was this some practice session? Alda growled as she loped beside Aria, sniffing the air.

"Quick!" Meilin shouted, brandishing a small knife from her sleeve and pulling Aria into a closet. "Can you call Alda into a tattoo?" Meilin demanded in a hushed whisper. "Uhh, tattoo?" Aria muttered, blinking rapidly.

"The dormant state!" Meilin hissed, "Can you do it?" "No," Aria whispered, "I can't." Meilin sighed softly and cursed under her breath, "Try."

"Why?" Aria demanded. "The Satans can sense the presence of a spirit animal, having Alda out will lead them right to us!" Meilin explained rapidly, "Hurry before—" BOOM!

The closet door blasted open, and Aria nearly had a heart attack. A group of three or four men stood at the broken doorway, but they were definitely not human.

Their faces were an ugly vomit green shade, with peeling and sagging skin, or whatever covered their face. Their eyes were a shade of red, glowing in the dim light. Their faces were gaunt and covered in a sickly looking black slime, which covered the skin in patches.

One held out its arm, a skinny stick, and an animal appeared before them. It was a cougar, or at least that's what Aria thought it was. It resembled the "humans", only it had the physical traits of a cougar. It bared its teeth to show pure black fangs.

Aria screamed. The cougar lunged with a vibrating roar, claws the color black outstretched. Meilin raised her knife, but Alda intercepted the cougar in midair, slamming it into the ground.

The other monsters stretched thrust out different body parts, arms, chests, legs, even foreheads, and more animals appeared, all absolutely terrifying. A serpent slithered forward, it's ripped forked tongue slipping in and out. An eagle soared above, it's wings riddled with holes, its eyes red.

Meilin slammed an undead bear into the closet wall with the hilt of her knife, "Move!" she ordered, slicing at the horde. Alda roared in pain as the cougar sank its teeth into her flank. "Alda!" Aria cried, fresh rage surging up to replace her fear.

She grabbed a broken chair leg and swung it hard against the cougar's body. Thwack! The cougar screamed in pain as the wooden stump snapped in two.

The cougar snarled in hatred and retreated, growling in pain. "Are you okay?" Aria breathed. Alda suddenly screamed, her eyes dilating in between red and blue. "Alda?" Aria whispered, stumbling back. Suddenly, the leopard's beautiful white spotted flank began to shift, a terrible black skin ripping out from under.

Alda writhed in agony, fighting whatever was taking over her. "No…" Aria gasped, realizing what the cougar had done, "No!" Aria wrapped her arms around her leopard, holding on tight. The wound was sprouting black slime that sizzled like acid.

Then, Alda stopped buckling and remained still. A soft blue glow radiated from Aria's hands, spreading over Alda's ruined fur, soft white fur spreading from where Aria's hands were wrapped firmly around Alda's flank.

Suddenly, all the fighting stopped. Meilin's eyes went wide, her knife still hovering over a bullfrog. The monsters all roared in fear and fled, screaming random noises. "Aria," Meilin whispered, "What was that?" "I don't know," Aria admitted, holding up her hands to study them. They looked completely normal.

"What were they?" Aria breathed. "Satans," Meilin snarled, "They've been risen from the dead by Serat, now, no matter how good they were in their past life, they only bow to him."

"Zombies?" Aria croaked, "Is this the zombie apocalypse?" "They're not really zombies," Meilin said, "More like warriors of the dead." "That sounds like a drama title," Aria joked hoarsely.

"Not time to joke," Meilin said sternly. "I know," Aria rasped, "Where are the others?" Meilin bit her lip, "I don't know," she admitted, "But I hope they're okay." "What that cougar did," Aria said, "It… it _infected_ Alda, like turning her into one of them."

Meilin nodded slowly, "They're like parasites, spreading themselves wherever they go. But it's not as bad as it sounds."

"That's so reassuring."

"Come on," Meilin said briskly, "Let's find the others." She stood and strode away, clearly not wanting to talk. They found Conor, buried under some concrete slabs, unmoving. Briggan sniffed anxiously at the boy's face, whining.

"Oh god!" Meilin shouted, "Conor!" She rushed to the boy's side. A line of dry blood ran across his face, his eyes flickered open, "Meilin?" he rasped, "Aria?" Meilin gave Conor a quick hug, "You're alive!"

"Of course I am," Conor grinned weakly, trying to sit up. He winced, "Ribs broken. Oh, hey buddy." Briggan bounded over to Conor, licking his face earnestly.

Conor pushed Briggan's snout away gently, "Where are the others?"

"Don't know," Meilin said, "You stay here, and we'll go find them." "I'm not going anywhere," Conor said, scowling at the cement block that pinned him to the ground. "Wait," Aria said, placing her hands on Conor's ribs.

Conor gasped in pain. "Aria!" Meilin snapped, "Get off him!" But Conor held up a bloodied hand and sighed in bliss relief. Meilin's eyes widened as she watched the cuts on Conor's face disappear, turning into scars, then vanishing completely.

"How'd you…?" Meilin demanded. "I don't know," Aria replied simply, "It's just an instinct I suppose."

Meilin looked deadly serious, "You're a draket."

"Is that an insult?"

Meilin's face contorted into an unreadable expression, "No, it's a curse."


	6. Chapter 6

**Spirit of the Ice – Chapter 6**

 **Darius Thorn:**

The next hour went by painstakingly, one by one, everyone was recovered from the rubble of the castle. So many were dead.

Aria paced by a young girl, about Aria's age, lying face down in the dirt, dead. Her swallow lay beside her, eyes glassy. Aria shuddered, that could have been her.

Kirat strode over to her and placed his arm around her, "Glad you're safe," he said softly. She doesn't pull away, his embrace is warm and comforting, "Same for you," Aria whispered.

"How's Cabaro?" Aria asked quickly, the great lion had been badly wounded by a Satan's orangutan. "He's going to be fine," Kirat said warmly, "We've got great healers here."

Aria bit her lip hard. She knew she could heal Cabaro with a stroke of her fingers, but Meilin had ordered her to keep it a secret. "It's dangerous to let out," she had said, "My mother made that mistake."

"Yeah," she replied hoarsely, Alda butted her hip affectionately, purring. Aria grinned down on her leopard, her snowy white fur showed no sign of the tearing an hour ago.

"Aria!" a voice shouted from across the rubble. It was Meilin, her eyes bore into mine, sending a clear message: _You, here, now._

I gulped, "Hey Kirat, I've gotta go," I said, striding over to Meilin.

She grabbed my shirt collar and pulled me close, "Listen now," she said in a hushed voice, "We don't have much time. Drakets, they were much commoner back then—"

"Back then?"

"Five thousand years ago!" Meilin said impatiently, "They were rare all right. But there was one traitorous one, his name was Serat. He betrayed the drakets, revealing their secrets and location. The invaders came, full force. The drakets were healers, not fighters, so all were killed. Except for one, his name was Darius Thorn."

"Wait," Aria cried, "That's my surname!"

Meilin's face went slack, "That's even worse. You're directly descended down from the most powerful draket bloodline. Darius fled the scene of the massacre, seeking refuge in the kingdoms of Arctica. He survived for a very long time, hidden."

"Then what?" Aria asked.

"Serat found him," Meilin said, "He'd been hunting Darius for years then. The two fought, draket against draket. They made a deal, if Darius won, Serat's forces would have to submit. But if Serat won, he gained the rights to the draket throne."

"What happened?"

"Darius killed Serat, but of course, Serat's goons weren't going to allow themselves to submit. They killed Darius anyway," Meilin said bitterly, "The forces of Erdas eventually wiped out Serat's army and peace was restored."

"Wait, so if I'm descended from Darius, are my parents drakets too?" Aria asked.

"No," Meilin replied stoutly, "The ability to heal choses certain people in the bloodline, so you can be a draket, but that doesn't mean your parents are. Darius' son wasn't a draket either."

"Oh," Aria said, swallowing. So her great-great-great-great-great-great, a lot more 'great's grandfather was the ruler of the drakets.

"Now that Serat's back," Meilin continued, "He'll stop at nothing to kill you."

"I though Serat brought them back to life," Aria said, "But if he was brought back too, who's behind it."

Meilin furrowed her brow, "We don't know… yet. Don't repeat anything I just told you. Noghw, I have work to do."

She straightened up and walked away like nothing had happened to join Rollan.

Aria gulped, she wasn't a great liar. "What was that about?" Kirat asked, once Aria had returned. "Nothing really," Aria said, trying to sound convincing, "Just asking me if I was okay and stuff. Nothing important."

Kirat raised an eyebrow suspiciously, "Whatever you say," he said cockily. Alda gazed up at her with her brilliant ice blue eyes knowingly, she knew what Meilin had told Aria.

"I'm going to check on Cabaro," Kirat said slowly, walking over to his injured lion. Aria grinned wryly at her leopard, "I'm not a great liar am I?" she asked softly.

Alda's tongue lolled out as she shook her head. Aria sighed, "It's a lot to take in."

Alda purred reassuringly and licked Aria's hand gently. "You're the best," Aria smiled. "Aria!" Meilin's shout echoed across the rubble of the castle, "Get over here!"

"Come on," Aria said to Alda, Meilin sounded urgent. Aria sprinted across the fallen stone, leaping over a slab of cement. Meilin was leaning over an unmoving shape.

"Rumfuss!" Dawson's cracked voice shouted. The boar was slumped under a pile of rocks. There was a deep cut that stretched across Rumfuss' chest. Three slash marks.

"A cheetah scratched him!" Dawson sounded panicked, "I can't get him out." "Dawson," Meilin said calmly, "Go get Rollan."

Dawson nodded and sprinted away. "Hurry!" Meilin said, "I've only bought you a few moments." Aria reached down and gently touched the boar's side.

A light blue glow spread across Rumfuss' broken form. The boar's eyes flickered open and he snorted. The cuts faded into scars, then faded completely.

"Rumfuss," Aria said softly, "I need you to get the rubble off you."

The boar grunted and sat up, the stones fell off like feathers. Dawson raced over, Rollan at his heels, "He's right— what? How did?" He doubled over, gasping for breath, "Rumfuss!" He threw his arms around the boar's neck.

"His scratches are gone!" Dawson shrieked in a mixture of joy and disbelief, "How did you do it?" Meilin gave Dawson a false smile, "Healing powder," she lied, holding up a silk cloth, which contained a lime green powder.

"You're brilliant!" Dawson cried, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Meilin flashed a smile, "Of course."

"Attention all Greencloaks!" a voice hollered. Everybody spun around to see an old man, standing atop a pile of broken material. Olvan, Aria realized, noticing the moose that stood at his side. Olvan's hair was mostly gray now, with only a few streaks of brown, but nonetheless, he was still as commanding as ever.

"We have suffered many casualties tonight, parts of the castle have been destroyed completely. No doubt this is the work of Serat and his army! Spirit animals have been lost the Satan's wretched acid." Olvan shouted to a chorus of yells of agreement.

A man nearby was weeping, tears streaming from his bloodshot eyes. "What happened to him?" Aria whispered quietly.

"He lost his spirit animal to the Acid," Meilin replied hoarsely, "It's a terrible thing, to lose a spirit animal. Like a death to the soul that cannot be replaced."

Aria swallowed the bile in her throat and pulled Alda closer to her side. She had been so close to losing Alda too, "Can't I fix it?" she asked softly so only Meilin could hear.

"Yes you could," Meilin said slowly, "If you could touch it. But I doubt you could, it no longer has a mind of its own, it's under Serat's complete control. Listen to Olvan."

"We honor the dead," Olvan was saying, his voice choking, "They died a noble death tonight at the hands of the Satans. This crime against the Greencloaks will not go unpunished! We will avenge them!"

"Kill Serat! Kill Serat! Kill Serat!" All the Greencloaks raised their hoarse and cracking voices into one chant, one to kill.


	7. Chapter 7

**Spirit of the Ice – Chapter 7**

 **The Journey Begins:**

"Aria," Meilin's voice wrenched Aria out of her thoughts of home. The soft falling snow, the noisy crowd at the market, the crying of small children. "What?" Aria looked up expectantly. "Olvan wants to talk with us," Meilin said, "It's urgent."

Aria heaved a giant sigh, "Let's go then. Come on Alda." She gestured for her snow leopard to follow. Alda swiped her tongue disdainfully around her jaws and yawned, picking herself up to her paws.

"Glad you could join us," Olvan said, once Aria and Meilin had joined the small group of Greencloaks. Among them were, Kirat, Dawson, Conor, Abeke, Rollan, Grif, Kaiina, Anuqi, Niri, Tasha, Cordalles, Raisha, Takoda, and Anda.

Kirat gave her a small wave. Kaiina frowned in her direction and Raisha didn't look at her at all. "To fill you in," Olvan continued, if he noticed the signs of disdain, he did not say anything.

"Serat is after an amulet. With the amulet, it will give him the final piece to summon Bamukket," Olvan explained. "What's Bamukket?" Dawson asked.

"Not what, who," Olvan corrected, "A demon. Patron of the Underworld. With the demon on his side, he could easily wipe out Erdas, making the Wyrm look like a playground bully."

"Oh," Dawson said quietly. "So we just have to get the amulet before him," Raisha said lazily, "Simple." "Simple," Olvan hissed, "The amulet isn't just going to be laying in the middle of a field saying, 'Come get me.' It's guarded by who knows what! An artifact of that importance will be well guarded."

"Fine," Raisha said dismissively, though her face had paled. "What do we do with the amulet if we get it?" Kirat asked, "Destroy it?"

"Good question," Olvan said, "I don't believe destroying the amulet will be as simple as it sounds. It is bound together by ancient magic. We must take it to the Argus River."

"Why that specific river?" Grif said gruffly.

"The Argus River and the Doveus River are twin rivers. The Argus represents death and the Doveus represents life," Conor said, "My mother told me, but I thought it was just a legend."

"So the Argus will destroy the amulet so no one can use it?" Aria asked. "Supposedly," Olvan said. "Then we have to leave as soon as possible," Kaiina suggested, "Serat should already be on the move."

"Exactly," Olvan said, "That's why I'm sending you tonight. You have a few hours to pack, you leave at sundown." Cordalles opened her mouth to object, but Meilin interrupted her, "Of course," she said, giving Cordalles a reproachful look.

"Go pack," Olvan said, "I will see you off at sundown."

A few hours later, Aria was nervously twiddling her backpack straps. She had packed painstakingly, as she was unsure of what to pack.

The Greencloaks stood in a crowd, their faces solemn. "We wish you the best of luck," Olvan said gravely, "Your mission is of utmost importance, retrieve the amulet, stop Serat from summoning Bamukket."

"Understood." Rollan said, for once, serious.

Raisha spun around with a barely audible huff, and begins to trudge away. Cordalles, Grif, and Kaiina followed. "Come on," Kirat placed his arm around Aria's tense shoulders, "Let's go."

The group walked the first hour or so in silence, Meilin was in the lead, holding a map. Aria kept my stare on the distant horizon of jutting peaks. She knew they would have to cross them, as the amulet was supposedly hidden in Arctica.

For some reason, Aria couldn't shape up any feelings of joy, she was going home, but not for the reason she would have liked.

They walked until the night had really settled in and, it was hard to see anything. "We're sleeping here tonight," Meilin said, pulling out a navy blue sleeping bag from her travel bag.

The rest all followed suit. Aria fished out her black sleeping bag, Meilin had instructed them to bring dark colored sleeping bags, as the camouflaged better in the dark.

Raisha, who had brought along a bright green sleeping bag, obviously hadn't listened. Aria placed her sleeping bag close to Kirat's deep green on. "Good night," Kirat whispered tucking himself in. "Same to you," Aria replied warmly snuggling into her bag. Alda purred as she slipped in beside her.

The last thought that crossed Aria's mind was that she was so lucky to have Kirat, before drifting off to a peaceful slumber.

Aria woke to screaming. Alda was immediately up, tense. Kirat stirred beside her. Apparently something had spotted Raisha's dratted bag, and had attacked.

The Satan Army had swarmed the makeshift camp. "Run! Run!" Meilin's commanding voice shouted over the turmoil, "Run towards the mountains! We'll meet up at the Giant Oak!"

Terrified, Aria wadded up her sleeping bag, stuffed it into her backpack, and took off, Kirat and Alda at her heels.

They ran and ran, not stopping to look back. Finally, Aria skidded to a halt at the edge of a deep gorge and Kirat landed on top of her. She glanced back wildly to see that Kaiina had followed them.

"Kirat! Aria!" Kaiina shouted, panting, "So glad— that— you're here." Kirat stumbled to his feet, visibly shaking, "What was that?"

"The Satan Army," Aria said, trembling, "I think they saw Raisha's sleeping bag." Kirat's face flashed with fury, "That stupid girl! Meilin told us to bring _dark colored_ bags!"

"Hey," Kaiina said defensively, "She was just mad that Meilin was always bossing us around." "Oh," Kirat snarled, "So you're on _her_ side. The person that almost got us killed on the first night!"

"No!" Aria shouted, "Stop! Arguing won't get us anywhere!" Kaiina glared at Kirat mutinously, "Fine," then her tone softened, "I didn't support her slight rebellion, I told her it was stupid. But she wouldn't listen."

"Yeah sure," Kirat scowled, "I'm sorry too for… jumping to a conclusion too quickly." He forced the last words out like they were a foul bile.

"I wonder if everybody else is okay," Aria said, changing the subject. "I hope they are," Kirat said, the tension in his voice changing into worry.

"Um, guys," Kaiina said, "We have other things to worry about." I spun around to see a group of ten or fifteen Satans approaching, slowly and menacingly.

Kaiina raised her arm and Dinesh appeared in a flash of light. Kirat summoned Cabaro and the lion let out an earthshaking roar.

Alda snarled and stalked forward to stand by Cabaro. The first Satans were crushed by Dinesh, literally. He stomped his giant feet, crushing several into dust.

Kirat pulled a long sword out of his belt and pointed it at the enemy. Kaiina grabbed a thick quarterstaff, banded with iron.

Aria fished through her bag and pulled out two knives and poised them defensively. Time lost meaning as the Satans charged forward, wielding axes and clubs.

Aria sliced the first Satan's axe off its handle and slammed the disfigured man back with the dull end of one knife. Then she spun around and beheaded another.

A giraffe launched itself forward, only to be disintegrated by Kirat's sword from behind. Aria and Kirat pressed, back to back, slicing at enemies.

Alda paced at Aria's side, snarling and spitting, sending Satans into clouds of dust with her claws. Cabaro grabbed a pair of antelopes by the horns and bashed their heads together.

The battle seemed to be going well, until Kaiina screamed. A black jaguar had her pinned to the floor, her quarterstaff laying on the ground beside her. Her arms were pushing against the jaguar's snarling face, keeping it away from her face.

The jaguar snapped fiercely, tossing its ruined head back and forth. Before Aria or Kirat could do anything, Dinesh let out a trumpeting cry and tossed the jaguar off Kaiina.

The jaguar leapt to its feet and launched itself at the elephant. "Dinesh look out!" Kaiina screamed. But the massive elephant was too slow. The jaguar slammed into the beast with incredible power, sending the elephant sprawling.

Kaiina wailed in fear as the jaguar's fangs closed on elephant flesh.


	8. Chapter 8

**Spirit of the Ice – Chapter Eight**

 **Secrets Unraveled:**

"Dinesh!" Kaiina screamed desperately, sprinting to her wounded elephant, "You stupid, stupid, _stupid_ jaguar!" she shrieked in rage, bashing the jaguar with her quarterstaff with such force that it disintegrated.

A cheetah stalked forward uneasily. Kaiina spun to face it, trembling in rage, "Do you want what he got?" she said quietly, menacingly, nodding at the jaguar's ashes. The cheetah seemed to understand and backed away, ears flattened.

Kaiina's patience snapped and she crushed the cheetah with a swish of her quarterstaff. The rest of the Satans got her message and turned and fled.

Kaiina crumpled beside her wounded elephant. Aria ran over to her, followed swiftly by Kirat. Kaiina's face was wet with tears as she gently stroked Dinesh's heaving flank. A black acid spurted out of a gaping wound in his flank.

"He's not going to make it," she whimpered, tears streaming from her red eyes, "I'm going to lose him." Kirat trembled beside her and Cabaro growled in fear.

"Kaiina," Aria said firmly, "Stop it now. Get off Dinesh, I can heal him." But Kaiina was hysterical, "No! No! NO! Leave me and Dinesh alone!" she howled.

"Kirat, pull her aside," Aria ordered. Kirat gave her a surprised look, "Wait—" "Now," Aria repeated. Kirat darted forward and gently placed his hands on Kaiina's shaking shoulders, "Come on," he said softly, "Move and let Aria help."

"No!" Kaiina wailed, "No stop it!" Kirat grabbed her more firmly and began to drag the screaming Kaiina away.

Aria took a deep breath and reached out and touched Dinesh's flank. A sweeping warmth spread from Aria's hands. A soft blue glow radiated, rippling outwards like water from Aria's outstretched palm.

The hysterical Kaiina stopped wailing and shrieking and fell silent in awe. Kirat gasped, "Aria…" Aria pushed the outside world away and concentrated hard.

She could feel Dinesh's poison leaching away, being sucked out of his body. Aria pulled her hand away, panting hard. _I have to work on that._

Dinesh's turquoise eyes flickered open and he moved his trunk feebly. "Dinesh!" Kaiina laughed, wiping away tears, "You're alive!"

Dinesh snorted from his long trunk as if to say, _of course I am, silly!_

Kaiina flung herself to her elephant, laughing and crying at the same time, "Aria! What did you just do!" she cried.

"I, um…" Aria stammered. "Yeah," Kirat chimed in, "What _did_ you just do?" Meilin's words rang in Aria's mind. _Never tell anyone._ Yeah, sorry bout that, Aria thought.

"I… I've been keeping a secret, from pretty much everybody," Aria began, "I can… I'm… this is hard to explain… I can heal wounds and stuff like that, with my hands. I'm what, they call a draket."

"A _draket_?" Kirat repeated, "And you have to ability to heal?" "Yes," Aria confirmed.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Kaiina demanded, looking up from stroking Dinesh, "It's important that people know so they can help you!"

"No it's not!" Aria said, exasperated, "Drakets are like, super rare. If I told too many people, I would put myself in danger."

"I'm the only thing that can heal the Acid, if the Satans found me…" Aria shuddered, "They'd kill me on the spot. So swear on your life you'll never tell. Promise me."

Kirat raised his right arm, "I swear on my life, I will never tell another living soul without your consent."

Aria nodded, satisfied, then turned to Kaiina. Kaiina looked at her steadily, "I swear on my life," She whispered, "I will _never_ tell."

"Thank you," Aria's voice cracked in relief, "I'm sorry I never told you earlier."

"It's fine," Kirat waved his hand, "But I'm worried about the others. They don't have any counter to the Satan's acid."

"True," Aria realized, "Which means we _have_ to regroup as soon as possible."

Kaiina nodded, "Let's get a move on," she raised her arm and Dinesh became a tattoo on her forearm, "Thanks," she said suddenly.

"What for?" Aria asked, looking back. "For saving Dinesh," Kaiina answered, "I can't tell you how much it means to me."

Aria nodded, "It's fine. I couldn't sit there, knowing I could have saved him."

"Hey!" Kirat called from farther uphill, "Get a move on, are you going to stand there chatting all day?" "Coming!" Aria shouted back, racing after him, Kaiina on her heels.

Aria skidded to a halt beside Kirat, then changer her pace to walk beside him, "Where did Meilin want us to meet up?" she asked.

"At the mountains, some kind of 'Giant Oak'. I'm sure we'll know when we see it. Something with a name like that's got to be huge, right?" Kirat replied, his eyes fixed on the distant mountain peaks.

"Yeah I guess," Aria said sullenly, spying a smooth stone lying in a clump of ferns. She kicked at it, and a skidded a couple of feet before rolling to a stop.

Suddenly, Alda tensed beside her. Aria immediately brought up her knives. "What is it?" Aria hissed. Alda growled sniffing the air, then she whimpered.

Aria gasped, the stone she had kicked was sending out a strange pinkish smoke that was spreading rapidly.

Kaiina was the closest to the stone. As the smoke engulfed her, Kaiina's hands went to her throat, clutching it tightly, coughing and choking.

"Kaiina!" Aria shouted, starting forward, but Kirat pulled her back. "Stop!" he shouted, "That's poisonous gas!"

The smoke was not very thick, and Aria could clearly see Kaiina through it. Kaiina's eyes rolled into her head so only the whites showed. Kirat backed away, but the smoke was faster. It seemed to grab Kirat and he immediately began choking.

Cabaro roared in outrage and launched himself into the gas after Kirat.

Aria screamed and jumped backwards, barely out of reach of the smoke. Kaiina crumpled to the floor, lifeless as a rag doll. Her head lolled back limply.

Kirat sank to his knees, retching and spluttering. Cabaro began to sway, whining. Kirat took a knee weakly and stretched out his arm. Cabaro became a mark on the back of his hand.

Kirat collapsed onto the floor and his limbs stopped twitching. His eyes met Aria's terrified ones, and he mouthed, _Run._

Aria stumbled back, Alda coiled beside her. Then she turned around and fled, running as fast as her legs could.

She was running so fast she couldn't see where she was going. Her foot slammed into a stick and something sharp pierced her neck.

Aria gasped, darts were flying out of disguised holes in the trees. She yanked it out of her neck, but her vision was getting woozy.

Alda growled in warning as another wave of darts rained upon them. Alda dodged the first few, but there was too many. One dart struck her flank and her eyes went wide.

Alda collapsed to the ground, three darts embedded in her flank.

"Alda!" Aria shouted. She took a step and wobbled. Her vision was getting darker, darker… darker.

She sank to her knees and curled into the fetal position. _This is it, I'm going to die._

Then a wave of darkness swallowed her, and all went black.


	9. Chapter 9

**Spirit of the Ice – Chapter Nine**

 **The Hidden Tribe:**

Pain was all Aria could feel, a dull, throbbing pain. Blackness. Blackness was good, it was peaceful and serene. Quiet…

Aria gasped then sat up suddenly, thumping her head against a wooden bar hanging above her.

"Easy," an accented voice spoke, "You've been out for a while."

"Where?" Aria croaked, suddenly realizing how parched she was, "Water?" she requested hopefully.

"Of course," a woman said, sitting up from a reed woven chair to cross the small space. The woman was slender and had warm, brown skin. She wore a simple shawl that draped down from her narrow shoulders. She pulled out a small wooden bowl from the cupboard and filled it with clear, sparkling water.

"Drink," she ordered, placing the bowl onto a spindly table.

Aria reached over gratefully and placed the rim of the bowl to her lips.

The water trickled down her throat, soothing the raging thirst that had burned. Aria didn't stop until she'd chugged the entire bowl. Then she put the bowl back down and wiped her mouth, "More."

The woman chuckled and refilled the bowl for her.

Aria repeated this process robotically four times, finally then her thirst was healed.

"Thank you," Aria sighed in bliss, relieved that her scratchy voice had begun to fade back to how it sounded originally.

"Welcome," the woman gave a small bow with her head. Not anything big, just a small inclination of the neck to show a small gesture of respect and courtesy. Aria returned the gesture, and the woman seemed satisfied with her response.

"Who are you?" Aria asked cautiously.

"Arijua," the woman replied, filling the bowl with water again, "More water?"

"Yes please," Aria said, holding her hands out to accept the drink.

This time, she drank slower, as the worst of the thirst had already been soothed, taking small sips.

"You are outsider," Arijua began slowly.

"Yes, I am a Greencloak, from Greenhaven," Aria nodded.

Arijua winced briefly, "Greencloak? Our tribe does not like those whom wear the green cloak."

"Why?"

"Bad history, Greencloaks lied to us to steal from us. Greencloaks have selfish desires, as all men do," Arijua closed her eyes, suddenly seeming weary, "You young to be Greencloak. You have spirit animal?"

"Yes," Aria said, touching the tattoo of Alda on her forearm. The snowy leopard had vanished into a flash of light as the poisoned darts had took their toll.

Suddenly the darts reminded her, Kirat and Kaiina! "Where are my friends?" Aria demanded.

"Friends?" Arijua echoed, "We find no friends, only you."

"No! My friends, a boy and another girl. They were with me when… when…" Aria trailed off, "You didn't find them?"

"No, only you," Arijua said grimly, "If I must guess, they're probably already dead. Many dangerous creatures roam jungle. You lucky we found you."

"They can't be dead!" Aria wailed, "They have their spirit animals!"

"Ah," Arijua murmured, "Only a Great Beast could withstand the darkness growing beyond the borders of our tribe. The magical spring protects us, keeping the evil out…"

"But they're spirit animals are the Great Beasts!" Aria sniffed.

"They are?" Arijua blinked, "The Great Beasts never bow to humans."

"Yes!" Aria broke in, "Cabaro and Dinesh!"

"The lion and the elephant," Arijua murmured, "The Great Beasts have fallen again, only to be summoned once more…"

"Are you one of them?" Arijua looked at Aria intently with her strange golden-brown eyes.

"Yes," Aria pulled up her jacket sleeve to reveal the tattoo of Alda, in mid leap with her blue eyes glowing as if she was real.

"Alda, the Snow Leopard," Arijua nodded reverently, her eyes misty.

Aria felt awkward at Arijua's piercing stare, so she glanced away, "About my friends," she brought up again, "I need to find them, we're on a mission. We have to find a really big tree and find the amulet to stop the Satans from finding and summoning Bamukket."

"Bamukket?" Arijua repeated, her face paling rapidly, "The demon?"

"Yes!" Aria said, "We need to find the rest of the Greencloaks to get going! Serat going's to summon the demon if we don't find the amulet first!"

"Bamukket shall not be awakened, the demon is trapped in stone. Nothing can pierce it," Arijua said firmly, closing her eyes briefly.

"You sound like you are familiar with Bamukket," Aria pointed out hesitantly.

"Clever girl," Arijua rasped, "I am."

"How?"

"Bamukket was once a part of our village," Arijua smiled pleasantly, "He was a good man."

"What?" Aria burst out, "Bamukket is a human?"

"Yes, at least he used to be," Arijua's voice grew cold, "He was born to this village and raised here as well. He was a handsome man, with most of the girls his age chasing after him with bouquets of river flowers. He was a light-skinned man, compared to the men in our village, like creamy mud."

Arijua sighed longingly.

"You sound like you loved him," Aria said timidly.

"I did," Arijua admitted, "And I have to say, loving him was the worst and best decision of my life."

"You and him were in a relationship?" Aria said incredulously, although she could see why. Arijua, although worn down by age, Aria could tell she had been beautiful in her younger years. Her eyes were warm and honey-colored, in which you could stare into forever. Her hair was silky and smooth, braided down the back, and her face had all the acute features that many women wished they had.

"Yes, it didn't go along well with the other girls," Arijua gave a short, harsh laugh, "They were blinded by envy."

"Then what?"

"They tried to lure him back to them," Arijua's voice grew heavy in emotion, "And they failed, horribly. They tried to concoct a scent that would draw Bamukket to them, and essentially place him under a spell. The brewing failed and the odor changed my Bamukket into a hideous demon!"

"A smell?" Aria echoed, "An odor can change a person into a demon?"

"If created from the blossom's nectar that blooms in the heart of the jungle," Arijua explained patiently, "If used correctly, it's sweet scent will cause any mortal man to fall in love with the brewer. Regine was the one to brew it, she was hopelessly in love with him, but too ugly for him to notice her."

"Regine, so, I take it she messed up somewhere," Aria said.

"Yes, Regine was never a skilled brewer," Arijua sighed, "But then again, the potion is extremely difficult to perfect."

"Is Regine still in the village?" Aria asked.

Arijua laughed cruelly, "That fool? Oh no, she was executed years before."

"Oh," Aria couldn't help but feel sickened by Arijua's obvious gloating at Regine's death. No doubt it had been gruesome.

On one side, Aria could understand Regine's impulsive actions. She'd been in love, and love can play beautifully or hurt you in a way nothing can.

But Aria couldn't believe someone would openly brew the potion, even though she knew herself she wasn't skilled enough to pull it off correctly.

"What happened after Bamukket turned into a demon?" Aria continued.

"He went absolutely mad," Arijua closed her eyes, "Absolutely mad."

"Wh—"

"He sprouted large, horrible wings and talons that extended from his nails and the temples of his head. Then maroon skin tore up from under the human flesh," Arijua described the event in full detail and made Aria wince, "His beautiful blue eyes glowed and flashed an ugly bulbous yellow. He destroyed all the buildings nearby, then went on a rampage, until the village elder came and incased Bamukket in stone. We then moved him to the Light Tree to keep hidden away, forever."

"The Light Tree must be the large tree Meilin spoke of!" Aria said.

"Yes," Arijua said, "And I strongly suspect the Satans have taken your friends there as well."

"Why?"

"If the Satans are after the amulet, they must first take over the Tree of Light to there for secure the demon's statue first. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a camp there." Arijua explained.

"Then let's go!" Aria sat up suddenly, only to be eased back down by a firm yet gentle hand.

"No, not yet," Arijua said gently, "You need to recover first."

"But they need me right now!" Aria protested, throwing Arijua's hand off her chest.

"You won't be any help to them in this shape, rest a day, and I will counsel with the village elder to request troops from the tribe," Arijua soothed, "Rescuing Kirat and Kaiina will be top priority."

"Okay," Aria sighed, settling back down, "What was the poison gas that knocked me out anyway?"

Arijua's under eye twitched once in obvious discomfort, "It's a safety precaution I created to protect the village from intruders. It's not supposed to kill, just knocks the victim out for a few days. Enough to collect them and interrogate them."

Aria blinked, "Am I going to receive an interrogation?"

"No," Arijua said, her hands reaching for her beaded necklace, "I'm going to request that you skip it."

"Thank you," Aria breathed a silent sigh of relief, she didn't want any pressure to be added to her already stressing situation.

Arijua folded a rag cloth neatly and placed it on the edge of Aria's chair, "Rest now," she ordered gently, "It will all be resolved in the morning."


	10. Chapter 10

Hello (if anybody still reads this story)

I am going to discontinue this fanfiction. Lately, I have felt more and more detached from fanfiction in general, and I'm sorry to say that I will no longer continue to post chapters on this story. I have long lost interest, support, and ideas. Hope you understand. :(

Sincerely,

Leaf


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello again! I was bored, so I decided to continue this story! Again, it would be much appreciated if you left a review, so I can know your opinions. Also, it would be great if you favorited or followed this story so I have a general idea of who reads and enjoys this story!  
**

 **Thanks!  
**

 **Leaf**

* * *

 **Spirit of the Ice – Chapter Eleven**

 **The Village Elders:**

"Come now, Aria," Arijua's raspy voice woke Aria from a dreamless sleep, "The village elders are here to speak to you."

Aria's eyes flickered open at once to see Arijua's kind face looking down on her, she was not smiling and her honey brown eyes were serious.

Aria sat up groggily and rubbed her eyes. Her entire body tingled, as if a weak electric signal was surging through her. _It must be an aftereffect of the poison._

In front of her, three old, bald men sat on wooden stools weaved together with intricate lacing of vines. All three of them were dressed plainly in orange robes with a single golden hoop around their wrist. The one in the center embraced Aria with a simple gesture of his palms.

"Hello," Aria said rather awkwardly, unconsciously straightening her back and placing her hands daintily on her lap in a very dignified way. The village elders regarded her with very serene stares. They all had pale gray eyes and bony features.

"You wish to seek the Tree of Light," the center one rasped, "Why is this?"

"My friends," Aria began desperately, "I think the Satans have captured them and are holding them hostage at the Tree of Light. They are trying to reach the amulet to revive Bamukket."

"The Amulet of Fallen?" the village elder on the left croaked, "That is foolish girl. No one has seen the amulet for two thousand years, it is too well hidden for some ignorant fool to find it."

"Please, at least my friends," Aria said.

"What do we receive in return for risking our own village's safety for your _friends_?" the one on the right scowled.

Aria was stunned, "N-nothing, but I—"

"Exactly," the village elder said, turning to the elder in the center, "Look, Ashanti, what is there to offer for our benefit? Let her try herself."

Arijua bristled, "That is not the way of the tribe Swahili," she growled, "We never turn down an innocent person asking for help. If Bamukket is revived, he will surely come here."

Swahili glowered at Arijua, "You are not in the place to make orders, you rejected becoming a village elder, and this is what you must do."

Arijua folded her arms, but she kept the sense to remain silent.

Ashanti turned his pale, wise eyes on Aria, "The girl speaks truth," he said, and Aria's hopes soared, but Ashanti did not continue.

"She speaks truth that she has nothing for us!" the elder on the left cried.

"Rajah speaks the truth!" Swahili insisted, "I place my vote as no."

"And I as well," Rajah said firmly.

"Please!" Aria begged, "You have to help me."

" _We_ don't have to do anything," Swahili said coldly, "You will leave the village at dawn, or you will be tossed into the dungeons with the other criminals."

"Swahili!" Arijua exclaimed in outrage.

"Silence!" Swahili barked, "That is not the way you address a village elder!"

Arijua glared at Swahili, but she reluctantly kneeled, "My apologies oh wise village elder Swahili," she said through gritted teeth.

Swahili looked satisfied, "You may rise." And Arijua stood up immediately, looking rather stiff and furious. Swahili looked smug.

 _Some wise elder he is!_ Aria thought in anger. _He's only using his position to push others around._

"Fine then," Aria said tartly, rising to her feet, "I will leave and do it myself. But don't be sorry once Bamukket is released, he'll be free to do his wrath, and all the village will know it was you that brought it upon them," she pointed a steady finger at Swahili, and the man flushed in rage.

"Be gone!" he shouted, waving his hand, although Rajah looked skeptical for the first time.

"Swahili," he began timidly, "Perhaps we should reconsider—"

"You already voted no!" Swahili turned on his comrade, and Rajah bit his lip and flashed Aria an apologetic look.

"The girl is right," Ashanti spoke finally, turning his misty eyes on Aria, "We send help."

"I'm afraid you are outvoted Ashanti," Swahili said smugly, though he bowed his head in mock respect, "Rajah and I voted not to send help." He nudged Rajah sharply, and the elder winced.

Ashanti pointed one trembling finger at Swahili, "You fool," he rasped, "Your choice has doomed us all then. The girl is right, you will be held responsible."

Swahili scowled in rage, but remained stubborn. Aria's heart plummeted. The village would not be helping her.

"I am sorry we cannot help you," Ashanti said, glaring at Swahili and Rajah, "But although we cannot send troops, I will grant you with supplies. Arijua?"

Arijua bowed low and scurried off towards a chest that was not there the night before. She clicked it open and produced a handsome sword with a white, misty blade that closely resembled ivory. Perhaps it was. Then she pulled out a bag that contained a small, rolled up black sleeping bag, an assortment of dried foods, a full water canteen, and some polish.

"Thank you," Aria said, strapping the sword to her side and slinging the bag onto her shoulders.

Arijua smiled hurriedly.

"Leave now," Swahili said coldly, "Because if you are found at our boundaries again, we will not be so kind." He swept his robes and strode out the door. Rajah followed him, then Ashanti. Ashanti turned at the door frame, "They are wrong," he said calmly, "Arijua and I will help you as much as we can." Then he whirled around and left the room.


	12. Chapter 12

**Spirit of the Ice – Chapter Twelve**

 **The Hostages:**

Aria headed towards the Tree of Light at a steady pace, her stamina increased as Alda prowled at her side. The snow leopard was tense and cautious, as if she blamed herself for not warning Aria in time during the release of the poisonous gas.

As she neared the tree, she could finally grasp to the full extent how massive it was. The trunk was as thick as a small house, and at least a thousand branches, each the size of a normal tree trunk, stretched outwards in all directions. Tiny bulbs of light hung precariously to the shrubbery like large spots of sparkling dew.

 _Tree of Light,_ Aria mused as she pulled out her sword. The Satans would have the tree well defended.

Alda growled, pacing. Her tail lashed as she slunk backwards into the undergrowth. Aria trusted Alda's instincts more than her own, and she slipped into the dense shrubbery behind the snow leopard.

Voices were just audible, and Aria strained to identify them. Then suddenly her hearing was sharper, more acute, and she could make out the voices clearly.

"Just up ahead," a female voice said, "Take your weapons out."

Aria's heart soared. It was Meilin's voice!

"It's huge," came Conor's voice.

Conor and Meilin! Aria breathed a sigh of relief. They were experienced Greencloaks that would know how to deal with the Satans.

"Do you think the others are there?" it was Dawson that spoke.

The three Greencloaks emerged from the undergrowth with Meilin in the lead. Conor followed behind her, clutching his axe, and Dawson held a staff tightly with both hands, his face pale.

"Meilin!" Aria hissed as she passed, and Meilin's eyes instantly met Aria's. They were slightly surprised and defensive, but she relaxed as she saw who it was.

"Aria!" a small smile spread across Meilin's face, "Is it just you?"

"I had Kirat and Kaiina with me," Aria replied, getting out of the bush. Alda purred as she padded elegantly out of the brush.

"Had?" Dawson echoed, looking anxious.

"I think the Satans are holding them at the Tree of Light," Aria said breathlessly.

"Tree of Light?" Conor repeated in bewilderment.

"The giant oak tree," Aria explained, then she told them everything that had happened. The poison gas, the village, the elder's advice, Arijua's story.

"So Bamukket was human?" Meilin raised one eyebrow once Aria had finished.

"And they've got Kirat and Kaiina!" Dawson exclaimed, "We've got to go rescue them!"

"Hold it, hold it," Conor hissed, "Keep your voice down. We'll wait and see if any of the others made their way here. Then we'll have a higher chance with more numbers helping us out." 

"Right," Dawson grunted reluctantly.

Alda suddenly stiffened beside Aria, and she stopped stroking the leopard at once.

"What's wrong?" Meilin asked tersely.

Then Alda purred, her ears pricked brightly. She tugged at Aria's shirt with sheathed paws and bounded a few steps before turning around, as if waiting.

Then came Raisha's disdainful voice from a little far off, "My feet are falling off."

"Be quiet!" Takoda snapped back, "There could be Satans here!"

"We can take them," Grif's confident voice replied.

"Don't be over confident," Abeke replied, and Aria heard Uraza rumble in agreement.

"Do you reckon the others are here too?" it was Cordalles, "What if this is the wrong tree."

"Meilin said a giant oak," it was Tasha's fair and calm voice, "What else could she mean?"

"Quiet all of you!" Rollan's voice ordered, and Meilin visibly straightened in delight, "I hear something."

The voices went silent, and Meilin called, "Rollan! Over here!"

"Meilin?" Rollan's hopeful voice replied.

"It sounds like here," Abeke said.

"Rollan!" Meilin called back, "Right here! It's me!"

A moment later, the tanned boy burst from the undergrowth, Essix sitting on his shoulder. The rest of the group came forwards as well, unharmed, but looking rather disheveled.

"The Satans chased us so far, we almost couldn't see the tree anymore!" Cordalles exclaimed, "But luckily we had Rollan and he used Essix to find the tree again!" Halawir screeched indignantly overhead and swerved to land on the girl's shoulder. Cordalles stroked the eagle's feathers, "You too."

"Where's Kaiina?" Raisha asked immediately, shoving through the crowd. Her eyes were dark with worry, and Aria remembered that the two girls were extremely close.

"The Satans have here," Meilin replied darkly, "Along with Kirat."

"What?" Raisha's voice was tight with fear, "Would they have _killed_ her?" she shuddered in terror.

"Probably not," Meilin said, "More likely a way to draw us in, as bait."

"Where are the others then?" Takoda asked, scratching his head, "Niri, Anuqi, and Anda?"

"Don't know," Dawson said fearfully, "What if the Satans have them too?"

"They could be on their way," Tasha suggested hopefully.

"Or they could have been ambushed," Rollan said tartly, "We should rescue them right away, before the Satans decide they aren't worth keeping alive."

"We should send a scout," Abeke said helpfully, "Just to check where they are and such."

"Good idea," Meilin nodded, "Abeke, you go. You've got Uraza, and Aria, you too. Alda and Uraza's abilities are well suited for it."

"Can I go?" Grif asked, "I want to do something useful."

Meilin shook her head, "Sorry Grif, Arax wouldn't be the best stealth spirit animal." And when Grif visibly withered, she added, "But we need all of us to help set up camp."

"I want to go," Raisha said, "I want to see Kaiina."

"You won't be able to speak with her, but if you could let them know we're there that would be fine," Meilin conceded, "And I supposed Gerathon would be fine with this mission."

The cobra hissed at Meilin in response.

Meilin looked at the cobra in an intense disliking, "Alright then, you three head off. If you're not back by sunset, we'll send a patrol after you," she ordered briskly. Then she strode over to speak to Rollan.

Abeke glanced at Aria and Raisha. Raisha had her arms crossed, "You lead," she said crisply to Abeke. Abeke shrugged and headed off, Uraza at her side.

It took only a few minutes to reach the roots of the tree, and the smallest roots were as thick as Aria's body. The entire tree base was surrounded by Satans. The mangy creatures were all accompanied by an undead animal. A giraffe, a mountain lion, a zebra, a badger, a hawk, and a cheetah.

"Stay back," Abeke whispered as she and Uraza slunk into the cover of the lush undergrowth. Raisha did the same, and Aria followed suit, Alda at her side. The snow leopard's white coat would be a dead giveaway, and Aria wished she had figured out the dormant state.

"They can sense the presence of spirit animals," Aria whispered fearfully, as one of the Satan's glowing red eyes swept over the patch of undergrowth the Greencloaks were hidden within.

Abeke's lips thinned, and Uraza disappeared immediately. Gerathon was gone in a flash of light, leaving Aria both flustered and embarrassed, "I can't do the dormant state," she admitted softly.

Raisha groaned, "You'll get us caught!" she hissed, much like a snake, "I knew she shouldn't have come!"

"Meilin chose her for a reason," Abeke said quietly, "Don't doubt her." She nodded at Aria, "Just try."

Aria bit her lip in apprehension and turned to look directly into Alda's wide blue eyes, "Look," she breathed into her leopard's ear, "If you don't go into the dormant state, you'll get us all caught. Just please…"

Alda cocked her head in understanding, leaned in closer, and became a mark on her forearm with a briefly painful flash of heat. Aria's heart soared.

"See," Abeke said to Raisha, "Now, we need to get _into_ the tree… hmm…"

"Couldn't we just kill all of the Satans?" Raisha suggested loftily.

"Walking out there into the open is suicide," Abeke said briskly, "We're merely scouts, this isn't the real mission."

"But what if—" Raisha protested, but Aria cut her off.

"Look!" she hissed.

Three new Satans emerged from the other side of the tree. Behind them were a scorpion, a jaguar, and a mink. Abeke gasped as she saw them arrive. Across their shoulders slung three bodies. Anda, Niri, and Anuqi.


	13. Chapter 13

**Spirit of the Ice – Chapter Thirteen**

 **The Acid:**

Aria let out a gasp of pure horror as she watched the three Satans carrying Anda, Anuqi, and Niri deposit them on the ground and greet the Satans on guard. They spoke to one another in a strange series of grunts and snorts. One of them gestured towards the three limp Greencloaks and made a face that looking terrifyingly like a grin.

"Well done," a man stepped from within the shadows of the tree. He wasn't a Satan with the peeling black skin, the protruding bones, and the glowing red eyes; he was human, "Serat will be most pleased with this new milestone. Why, these Greencloaks have gotten more careless over the past few years," he stroked his very sharp goatee.

Then one of the Satans turned to the other and let out a pattern of snorts and strangled screeches. A translator between English and the Satan language, Aria realized.

"Take them to the chambers, and five shall be enough for the substance," the man ordered, pointing at the three Satans, "Oh, and if the other two prisoners have regained consciousness, knock them out again with the gas."

The translator repeated the man's message in the strange gibberish, and the three Satans bowed low to the man and picked up the three unconscious Greencloaks, and began to make their way around the large tree trunk.

"Follow them," Abeke said in a shaky voice.

Raisha nodded, her eyes wide, and slipped away, carefully stepping lightly and skirting around sticks that could snap and give away their location. Aria followed behind, tracing Raisha's steps, and Abeke followed at the rear, her hand clasping her bow tightly.

They travelled around the shrubbery surrounding the Tree of Light, and as the trunk shifted around as they walked, ten glass tubes came into view. Eight were unoccupied, but in the other two were… Kaiina and Kirat! Both of them had regained consciousness, and Kirat was slamming his palms against the glass, screaming to be freed, and Kaiina was openly sobbing.

 _Your spirit animals!_ Aria wanted to scream. _Dinesh or Cabaro could easily break you out! Release them!_

But none of them did, and a horrible thought began to creep up Aria's spine. What if Cabaro and Dinesh had already been subjected to the Acid? She imagined both of the spirit animals with torn blackish flesh and glowing red eyes, and she shuddered in horror.

Clearly Abeke was thinking the same thing, "No…" she let out a strangled gasp, "No… no… no…"

"You don't think?" Raisha's voice trembled, "The Acid?" The girl rolled down her sleeves defensively to cover Gerathon's tattoo.

"I think they have," Abeke said grimly.

"No… no… and there's no way to turn them back?" Raisha sounded desperate.

"Not that we know of," Abeke replied gravely.

Aria listened in guilty silence. She _could_ save Dinesh and Cabaro, but hadn't Meilin said it was dangerous to tell? That it would put others in danger? She bit her lip in frustration.

Raisha looked positively horrified, "Are they… are they going to…"

She broke off as Abeke made a sudden jerking movement for her to be quiet. Raisha fell silent at once, her eyes widening as one of the Satans tossed Anda to the ground. The boy did not twitch or grunt at all as he flopped to the floor limply.

Aria watched helplessly as the Satans began to search Anda's body, and with a horrible jolt, she realized what they were searching for. One of the Satans let out a triumphant cry and raised one of Anda's arms.

An instant later, there was a brilliant flash of light, and Tellun the Elk appeared before the Satans, looking more enraged than Aria had ever seen him. The elk lowered his massive horns and prepared to charge.

The Satans screeched at their animals to react, and they did with lightning speed. A cheetah sprang at Tellun, only to be speared aside with the elk's horns, and Tellun easily knocked a panther aside. He reared in rage and brought his hooves down on a skunk that had tried to slip beneath him. But then a rhino crashed into the elk's side, and the impact sent Tellun sprawling.

Raisha closed her eyes tightly, and Aria let out a silent scream of horror. A ragged cougar sprang onto the elk and pinned his thrashing limbs to the ground. Then a sleek mink, its red eyes glowing in jeering satisfaction, sat down on Tellun's flank, and sank its tiny, pointed teeth into the elk's neck.

Tellun lurched upwards immediately, throwing all the animals off of him. He staggered to his feet, screaming and roaring, his hooves kicking up dirt in agony. The elk swayed on his hooves, the skin from his neck ripping away to reveal a sickening black shade beneath. Tellun bucked violently, his eyes flashing red, the blackness spreading across his body. Then with a final screaming roar of defiance, the elk suddenly went still as a statue. The transformation was complete.

Tellun turned around in a circle, then looked at Anda, almost in contempt and trotted away robotically to stand beside the tree. Aria felt sick with despair, and a tear trickled down Abeke's face.

Then the Satans brought forth Anuqi, and they summoned forth Suka.

The polar bear put up a courageous fight, but was eventually brought down by the sheer immensity of Satan spirit animals, and with a final kick of Tellun's strong legs, the polar bear slumped down in defeat, her eyes flashing in shock as she glanced at Tellun. Then it was all over as the cheetah sank its teeth into the bear's scruff, and Suka's eyes glowed red.

The same was for Mullop, and before long, all three former spirit animals stood rigidly together, their skin ripped and dark and their eyes a glowing crimson. Then, Cabaro padded out from within the trunk to stand beside Tellun, his body unrecongnizable, and he was then followed by the transformed Dinesh.

Raisha let out a little, choked sob, and Aria was too stunned for speech. Tears flooded down her face as she stared at the five spirit animals, once lively and loyal, now dead and flat.

Kirat was screaming at Cabaro now, slamming his palms against the glass. The entire tank shuddered with the force, but the glass itself remained firm. Kaiina took one look at Dinesh and began to sob, sinking to the ground and crying.

The man turned to look at Kirat with a mixture of irritation and amusement, "Silence them please," he said, chuckling, "They're not using their inside voices."

The Satan translated the orders, and one of the smaller Satans scurried over to the glass chamber. Kirat kicked and pummeled the glass with his entire body as the Satan neared. The Satan snorted in contempt and pushed a button concealed as a knob in the tree.

Aria bit her lip as she watched in horrified silence. Thick, sulfur like gas spread from within the chamber, pouring in through little slots in the glass. The smoke engulfed Kirat and Kaiina, misting so only a shadowy form could be seen. The gas thinned very quickly, dissipating as quickly as it had come, and Aria clenched her fingers, afraid of what she might see.

Kaiina swayed on her feet, the color bleaching from her face. Then she slammed back against the glass, her eyelids flickering dangerously. Then her eyes rolled back into her head, and she slumped onto the ground face first. Raisha let out a strangled gasp of outrage and horror as she stared at her unconscious friend.

Aria watched Kirat with desperate and terrified eyes. Oh, how she wanted to launch herself out of the bushes and attack the Satans for all the hideous crimes they had committed, but she held herself. It was a scouting mission, not an offensive.

Kirat sank to his knees, reeling backwards. The tanned boy jerked backwards as the light died out of his eyes, and he crumpled to the ground, sliding slowly down the glass panel. Cabaro let out a strangled noise, in between a snarl and a whimper. It sounded as if he had come to himself for a moment before slipping away once more.

Aria couldn't bear to watch, and she turned away from the scene. She stared intently at the fronds of fern waving in the innocent breeze, watching as a hard-shelled beetle crawled up the side and slipped into the ferns.

Then Abeke let out a gasp of horror, and without intending to, Aria's attention jerked back to the tree. The Satans had already tossed Anda, Anuqi, and Niri into the corresponding glass chambers, and all five were slowly filling with a brilliant orange fluid, much like golden tree sap. As the substance brushed at the bodies of the young Greencloaks, they slowly floated upwards as the liquid hardened around them, like a fly in amber.

Then a cold metal sheath closed around the glass chambers, and they were absorbed into the heart of the tree trunk.


	14. Chapter 14

**Spirit of the Ice – Chapter Fourteen**

 **The Chase:**

Raisha let out a strangled sort of suppressed scream, and it echoed eerily around the now silent clearing. Raisha clapped her hand over her mouth in alarm, but the sound had already escaped.

Abeke glared at her, and Raisha's eyes were pools of guilt and sheepishness, "Let's go," Abeke mouthed, "Before they find us." She began to slink backwards, melting into the undergrowth behind her, and Aria joined her in her silent retreat.

"What was that?" the man in the clearing down below said in alarm, "An animal? A spy? Go check! I'm not taking chances!"

Behind Aria, Raisha bit her lip and glanced back towards the giant oak that had absorbed the glass chambers.

Then Abeke staggered backwards, smacking right into Aria's forehead. Stars exploded before Aria's eyes, and Abeke let out a piercing scream of terror. She had crashed straight into a Satan heading back for the tree, and both Abeke and the Satan seemed equally stunned. The Satan's mountain lion roared, and without hesitation, bowled Abeke over. The creature snarled viciously and snapped at Abeke's exposed throat. Abeke grimaced as she placed her arm against the creature's neck, pushing the snapping jaws away with all her might.

Then the Satan turned on Aria. In a flash of light, Gerathon slithered smoothly past Aria and let out a low hiss. The serpent unfolded her hooded mask and lunged for the Satan's leg. Gerathon's fangs cut straight through the flesh, and with an awful thump, the leg of the Satan fell to the ground, black blood oozing from the stump remaining on its leg. Aria bit the inside her of mouth to resist screaming.

The Satan looked mildly perplexed for a moment, then it crumpled and disintegrated into foul smelling ashes. Raisha stood over it, her knife gripped tightly, she wrinkled her nose in disgust, "Ew, that's actually disgusting," she waved the fumes of the dead Satan away.

Abeke had managed to stab the mountain lion through the heart with an arrow, and the creature crumbled, almost on top of her, dousing her with black dust. Abeke sneezed violently, spitting and coughing. She got to her feet, dusting herself off, "Let's go!" she cried just as an army of Satans crashed through the brush, following swiftly by the man.

"Ah," the man said, eyeing Abeke, Aria, and Raisha loftily, "Greencloak spies, eh?"

Aria felt rooted to the spot as she stared into the man's golden brown eyes. She grinded her teeth in agitation. They would _not_ take Alda from her.

"Abeke and Raisha," the man inclined his head politely, ignoring the tense silence, "I'm delighted to finally meet you two. The ones that summoned a Great Beast. Gerathon and Uraza?"

"How do you know this?" Abeke hissed through gritted teeth.

"I know much about you," the man replied simply.

"So you're a stalker?" Aria blurted impulsively, and Abeke groaned. A flash of guilt and fear hit Aria, she had possibly just dashed their attempts at escape.

But the man did not seem bothered, "As a matter of fact, yes. Although, I would not call myself a _stalker_. More or less, a researcher, or a more observant man than any of you," he sneered at Aria, "Who are you? Last I checked, there were only fifteen Great Beasts."

A strong disliking for the man surged in Aria's chest, and she stared him down with hard eyes.

"You're useless aren't you?" the man smirked at Aria's silence. Perhaps he viewed it as hesitation rather than defiance, "I'd say you even aren't marked," he grinned, revealing the tattoo of a black panther on his chest, "Maybe a scout that the Greencloaks are willing to sacrifice for the 'greater good'. After all, in the eyes of a Greencloak, the Unmarked are disposable and weak. You don't need that, girl."

Abeke bristled furiously at the man's remark, "We do not view the Unmarked as tributes, and we do not send them to die!" she spat in anger.

The man's eyebrows kinked upwards, "Amuse me," he said loftily, "It is true, the Unmarked _are_ weaker than the Marked. They do not have the enhanced abilities, the strength, the cunning, the impulsiveness, the instinct, the power. But you don't need the Nectar for a spirit animal. Gerathon had the right idea, with the Bile," he nodded at the snake.

Gerathon suddenly froze, and she cocked her head to one side as if she considered the man's words. Then she hissed, her forked tongue slipping in and out of her fangs.

"It's like chess," the man waved his hand with such simplicity that infuriated Aria, "You're the Greencloaks' pawn. Wouldn't you be more willing to sacrifice a pawn to capture another? More willing to place a pawn in front of the king to block the enemy's path? It's simple, really. Once the pawn manages to come to the other side, it turns into a _queen._ " He grinned as his insane logic dawned on Aria.

"You want me to join you?" Aria growled, "I thought you said I was _useless._ "

He didn't skip a beat, "I said you were useless as a _Greencloak's pawn._ But you can be a _something real_ here," the man said slyly.

"Don't listen to him!" Abeke cried, "You can't! Look what he's done!" The girl looked desperate, "We need you!"

"Listen to her!" the man hissed suddenly, grabbing Abeke by the wrist, "Crying that they _need_ you. That they _want_ you!" Abeke tugged her wrist out of his grasp in disgust.

"It's not you that gets to decide," the man snarled, and with a flick of his wrist, two Satans stepped forwards to immobilize Abeke. One wrapped its arms around her shoulders, holding her back, and the other stilled her thrashing legs. Abeke screeched, attempting to bite the hands of her assailants, but it had no effect.

"Hey!" Aria cried, "Get off her!"

As two more Satans grabbed Raisha, Gerathon hissed and launched forwards with frightening speed, her fangs sinking into one of the Satan's arm. The Satan didn't cry out in pain as it crumbled away into black sand. An awful odor filled the air, and Aria covered her nose.

"Dispose of the snake," the man barked orders at the Satans, "Bite it! We require Gerathon to move forwards with our plans."

As the Satans' animals stalked forwards, Raisha screamed, "No!" and with a blinding flash of light, Gerathon returned to her in the dormant state. The light was just enough to temporarily stun the Satans holding her down, and she wiggled free, slashed through Abeke's holders, and sliced the man across the cheek with unimaginable speed and agility. The first burst of serpent-like cunning and strength that Aria had ever seen propel Raisha.

The man reeled backwards, and the remaining Satans all turned to look at him in alarm and concern. The man made a horrible face of both pain and rage as he clutched his cheek with his hand, "Get them!" he howled.

"Run!" Abeke tore through the branches, with Raisha and Aria on her tail.

"Get them!" the man screamed again, "Get them! Get them! Get them!"

"Run, run, run!" Abeke shouted, stumbling slightly as her feet caught on the tree roots. Aria hurtled on, thorns whipping at her face as she raced through the trees. They needed to lose their pursers before returning to the camp, or it would bring the Satans straight to the hiding Greencloaks.

Abeke turned over her shoulder, pulled out her bow, and fired at the Satan at the head of the patrol. The arrow thudded in the Satan's chest, and it disintegrated away. And then there were six.

Another arrow found its mark, and then five Satans remained. The screeches of the man faded into the distance as the Satans slowly closed in on the panting girls. Raisha threw her knife, and it struck the Satan in the head. Raisha cursed aloud as she realized she had run out of knives.

Aria wished she could do more than running, but her only weapon at the moment was a sword, and she was _not_ throwing it. Aria wasn't confident about her aim, and she would probably only succeed in losing her sword rather than helping. So she ran hard, her eyes skimming the ground.

Then she leaned downwards precariously and snatched up a rather thick branch from the ground. She turned around and threw it as hard as she could. As she predicted, she hit nothing, but she managed to momentarily surprise the Satan she chucked it at, and as it stumbled, another one crashed into it from behind, and the two Satans rolled away in a flailing tumble.

Abeke finished another one with an arrow, leaving two Satans still chasing after them, not deterred by the fate of their comrades, "Keep going!" she gasped, tearing through another rather dense clump of bracken, swatting the irritating stalks aside with her bow.

Aria glanced at the ground, hoping for another suitable stick to throw again, but all she saw were thin, brittle twigs that wouldn't do anything against the Satans, unless she got extremely lucky and managed to poke one in the eye. She wasn't going to even try.

Then with a final two satisfying thwacks, the remaining Satans fell to the onslaught of Abeke's deadly arrow rain, and with a shuddering breath of relief, Abeke slowed to a trot. Then she gave a light laugh, and Aria echoed her, her veins still pumping with exhilaration and adrenaline.

"We did it," Raisha gasped for air, putting her hands on her knees like she was about to retch, "I hate running," she admitted with an airy laugh, "But we showed them."

"C'mon," Abeke said, straightening, seriousness replacing the relief, "Let's find the others and tell them what we just saw."


	15. sorry again

Hey everyone,

I'm starting to lose motivation in writing, and I'm getting much busier. I'm sorry that I'll be extremely inactive, and might discontinue most of my stories. I just don't have the time or motivation to continue my stories, and they seem to be getting blander and less and less support. I'm not going to be gone for good, maybe I'll suddenly decide to write or something, but this is just a heads up that I'll be leaving for a while. :'(

Sincerely,

Leaf the Peregrine Falcon 3

PS: here are some fanfics that I recommend: The Hidden Trials by A Flaming Eternity (Avatar the Last Air Bender), On the Wings of Magic by Bil (Harry Potter), Knowledge is Power by robst (Harry Potter), and Kisses Like Summer Rain by thnkxfrthmmrs (Percy Jackson)


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